The Bolingbrook, Ill., product stepped on to the field to a loud ovation from the partisan Fire crowd at Toyota Park in a special moment for those that have followed Pineda’s story.

And while many a fan thought he may never see the field for the first team, the U.S. youth international says his absence from the pitch only made him stronger.

“I never lost hope but at times I got really frustrated,” Pineda admitted. “I think [not playing] helped me mature in a lot of ways. Mentally I’m a lot tougher than I was even from just a year or two years ago. I think that’s going to help me a lot in the future.”

Pineda wasn’t the first Homegrown player in Fire history to appear in a competitive match for the club, that honor was bestowed on rookie Harry Shipp who appeared in last Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Portland.

This week, the Notre Dame alum bagged his first assist, providing a perfect cross for Jeff Larentowicz for the game’s opening goal in the sixth minute.

“The last two weeks have been very special for me,” said Shipp. “Getting the debut last week then coming here and getting an assist in my home town against a team with Henry and Cahill was fantastic. Still, a win would have been better for us, but we move on to the next game.

When he came in, some naysayers looked at Yallop’s supposed reputation for not playing young players in the past as a sign that Fire Homegrowns didn’t have a chance to see the field.

Along with Pineda and Shipp, Joya has appeared in all three matches, while deputy left back Greg Cochrane logged the full 90 on Sunday. The four players, all of whom are under the age of 23 have played in 471 minutes combined over the first four matches.

“It’s never easy for these young guys to come in and play on such a big stage,” Yallop said post-game. “I think that both Harry and Benji last week did a good job and I thought they did well today. From our injury situation right now it’s a chance for other guys to get some minutes and see how they get on. I was pleased with all of them.”